Employee Relations and HR Specialist - Manufacturing

Join a leading global enterprise at the forefront of its industry, renowned for innovation and significant market impact. This organization is committed to fostering a productive and positive work environment for its vast workforce.

Allegis, a trusted partner of this influential organization, is seeking a dynamic individual to step into a pivotal role, offering a high-touch, personalized HR experience to employees. You will be instrumental in shaping a supportive and compliant workplace, directly impacting employee morale, productivity, and retention across critical operational areas. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute immediately to a high-visibility team and drive meaningful change within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will be the cornerstone of employee support, engagement, and compliance. You will collaborate closely with employees, leaders, and various HR stakeholders to deliver effective people solutions, ensure regulatory adherence, and cultivate a positive and productive work environment. Your contributions will directly enhance workplace relationships, build morale, and boost overall productivity and retention.

• Provide a high-touch, personalized HR experience, addressing employee questions, concerns, and engagement needs.
• Partner with employees and management to communicate HR policies, procedures, laws, and standards, offering expert guidance.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to employee management to reduce risks and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with internal HR teams and legal counsel on complex matters as needed.
• Work closely with employees, HR business partners, and managers to improve work relationships, build morale, and increase productivity and retention.
• Partner with specialized HR centers to support complex employee relations issues and investigations.
• Conduct exit interviews, analyze attrition trends, and collaborate with HR business partners to develop recommendations for corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Identify leadership coaching needs and provide coaching support to leaders and employees.
• Support talent management and development initiatives by providing data, analysis, and implementation support.
• Provide talent and performance management guidance to leaders, including coaching, consultation, corrective actions, and crisis management support.
• Support onboarding activities in partnership with leaders and onboarding mentors.
• Collaborate with HR colleagues and leaders on employee compensation matters, ensuring alignment with pay-for-performance principles and employee recognition programs.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and partner with specialized HR centers to enhance processes, procedures, and business outcomes.
• Maintain productive working relationships with union officials and ensure compliance with labor agreements.
• Monitor day-to-day implementation of labor policies related to wages, hours, and working conditions.
• Investigate, respond to, and resolve grievances in accordance with labor contracts.
• Administer hourly and represented employee compensation consistent with union and collective bargaining agreements.
• Implement local and national labor agreements and participate in negotiations as required.
• Support People Involvement initiatives and the implementation of operational excellence systems.
• Serve as an HR consultant for programs that contribute to employee engagement, development, and workplace culture, including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, employee development programs, and recognition programs.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 to 4 years of Human Resources and Labor Relations experience.
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, employment law, employee relations, and workplace practices.
• Experience supporting talent management, performance management, employee engagement, and leadership development initiatives.
• Demonstrated labor relations experience, preferably working with major labor unions in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience partnering with leaders and employees in a unionized manufacturing setting.
• Excellent coaching, consulting, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to build strong relationships, influence stakeholders, and work effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Key Technical Proficiencies (Ranked by Importance)

1. Labor relations and contract administration - Strong ability to interpret and apply national/local agreements, manage grievances, support shop committee discussions, and work effectively with union representatives.
2. Employee relations and investigations - Experience handling hourly employee concerns, workplace investigations, discipline, performance matters, and risk-sensitive situations with sound judgment and documentation.
3. Manufacturing HR operations and workforce systems - Familiarity with hourly workforce processes such as timekeeping, attendance, manpower planning, onboarding, HR and workforce management systems, HR metrics, and reporting.

Bonus Points

• Hands-on shop floor experience.
• Experience participating in or supporting collective bargaining and contract negotiations.

Why This Role Matters

This position offers direct exposure to a highly visible and impactful area of the business, supporting a team that contributes significantly to the corporation's financial success. It provides valuable exposure to different areas of the organization, potentially opening doors to future career opportunities within the corporation, including the possibility of direct hire employment. You'll be joining a team in immediate need of your expertise due to a temporary gap in coverage, allowing you to make an immediate and tangible impact.

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About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands.

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.